difficult," Concubine Zhen added.Su Han frowned; there was only a month left before August 25th of the lunar calendar. At present, Hao Ren was at the middle level of the Geng stage, and to advance to...Chapter 88: Countless Treasures

The Baihua Palace wasn't just a small courtyard filled with flowers as Hao Ren had imagined, but more like a large hillside. Chancellor Xia carefully escorted Hao Ren to ensure he wouldn’t touch anything he shouldn’t.

Hao Ren was considerate and followed Chancellor Xia's instructions by only observing without rashly touching things.

Due to the vastness of the place, they couldn't cover everything in one go. Chancellor Xia led Hao Ren on a brief tour before taking him out.

When leaving Baihua Palace, he casually picked two small red fruits and handed them to Hao Ren.

"These are the most common little fruits in Baihua Palace," Chancellor Xia said with a friendly smile. "They don't have any special functions except for tasting good, so you can just eat them for fun."

Holding these cherry-sized fruits, Hao Ren assumed Chancellor Xia wouldn’t deceive him and casually put one into his mouth to chew on it. Upon finding that there was no pit, he swallowed the fruit whole.

A refreshing sensation spread from his stomach throughout all his acupoints as if they were being cleansed, leaving him feeling incredibly refreshed.

An overwhelming surge of power instantly filled Hao Ren’s body, and even the Taishan Bracelet in his hand seemed lighter.

"You really meant it when you said this is just for fun It doesn’t have any special effects" Hao Ren was puzzled yet somewhat concerned. He asked Chancellor Xia as they stepped out of Baihua Palace.

Chancellor Xia nodded emphatically and assured him, "They’re sweet and taste great. As for their function, it’s minimal—about five years' worth of martial arts cultivation in the mortal world."

Hao Ren was stunned by this revelation.

The most common and ordinary-looking fruits in Baihua Palace were equivalent to five years’ worth of a martial artist's power!

Chancellor Xia, excited about his explanation, didn’t give Hao Ren much time to process. He continued enthusiastically, "Adjacent to the Baihua Palace is the Yiling Palace where there aren't any divine creatures like Qilin or Fenghuang but still have many ancient rare beasts that are almost extinct in the mortal world…"

Listening to his explanation, Hao Ren felt this place was akin to a wildlife reserve where various animals had their own territories and followed a natural survival hierarchy. Chancellor Xia didn't dare take him too deep into it, only pointing out several beautiful rare beasts before bringing him out.

The next stop was the “Xuangu Palace”. Unlike the previous two palaces, this place had stricter security measures in place. This seven-story pagoda-shaped palace came in different colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet), with gold-armored warriors patrolling around each floor.

With Chancellor Xia leading the way, Hao Ren smoothly entered the pagoda-like “Xuangu Palace”. Upon learning of Hao Ren’s identity, all the guards respectfully saluted him.

Seeing this imposing scene, Hao Ren was sweating slightly and quickly followed Chancellor Xia into the palace.

The palace had no excessive decorations; only bookshelves were set up in layers along its circular walls. Each compartment on these shelves contained books that shimmered with light and color, each protected by their own array formations.

This meant that even if someone managed to sneak into the palace, without the ability to break through the array formations, they wouldn't be able to take away any of these cultivation methods.

Seeing Hao Ren's puzzled expression, Chancellor Xia explained proactively: "Marquess Hao, our dragon tribe has nine levels of strength grading—Qian, Kun, Xun, Dui, Gen, Zhen, Li, and Kan. Once you break through the Foundation Method 'Concentrated Spirit Decision' to enter the Kan level, you can start cultivating corresponding methods. These cultivation methods are further divided into seven grades based on quality—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet—which are respectively placed in the first to seventh floors of this 'Mystic Arts Hall'. The most extensive floor naturally holds the commonest red-grade cultivation methods."

As he spoke, he led Hao Ren upstairs: "This is the second level, holding orange-grade cultivation methods…"

Hao Ren followed him up each level, finding that the more he ascended, the more intricate and magnificent the array formations protecting the books became. Evidently, their defensive and offensive capabilities were also stronger. Of course, the floors grew smaller with fewer books as one went higher.

On reaching the fourth floor, Chancellor Xia suddenly stopped: "Marquess Hao, please hold your steps here; my authority only extends to the fourth level, meaning I can only access green-grade cultivation methods. Without special permission from King Dragon, neither of us may proceed further."

Hao Ren nodded; he didn't want to put Chancellor Xia in a difficult position and merely glanced around on the fourth floor before turning to descend. After all, for him, breaking through Concentrated Spirit Decision's third layer was still far off, let alone reaching the Kan level which seemed out of reach. These cultivation methods were only for his viewing pleasure.

Seeing how reasonable this marquess was, Chancellor Xia felt even more favorably towards him.

The thought occurred to Hao Ren as he descended: I wonder what grade of cultivation method Su Han, who has already reached the Qian level, practices…

"Chancellor Xia, theoretically speaking, if I were to obtain a lowest-grade red cultivation method and practice it diligently, wouldn't that allow me to reach the Qian level too" After exiting the Mystic Arts Hall, Hao Ren asked.

“Theoretically” Chancellor Xia was taken aback for a moment before answering: "That's true, but nobody has ever reached the Qian level using just a red-grade cultivation method. The better the quality of a method, the greater its benefits and the faster one can advance."

Hao Ren looked back at this towering seven-story palace. It was no wonder that other minor factions also came to borrow methods from this Eastern Sea Dragon Palace with so many accumulated over thousands of years; some small sects might only have a few cultivation methods, while it boasted hundreds.

Chancellor Xia then led Hao Ren to the 'Divine Treasure Hall', where various treasures were displayed in three floors. Each dazzling treasure was similarly protected by its own array formation.

The grading of treasures was not as intricate as that for cultivation methods, simply divided into upper, middle, and lower grades according to Chancellor Xia's explanation; whatever suited best was the best, so there weren't any subpar treasures in this Eastern Sea Dragon Palace’s collection.

"If Marquess Hao likes it, you can just pick one at random. These treasures aren’t as strictly controlled as cultivation methods. We have the finest artisans here in the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace; as long as materials are provided, any good treasure can be crafted."

After hearing what he said, Hao Ren felt a bit tempted; the few palaces he had visited before only allowed him to look and not touch anything. But here, there were no such restrictions.

The first thing he saw was a heart-shaped pendant, silver in color, quite beautiful.

Was it too much to give Zhao Ziyan a treasure from the Dragon Palace as a birthday gift Hao Ren thought inwardly.

Seeing Hao Ren’s gaze fixed on that pendant, Chancellor Xia stepped forward and said, "This is a small須彌法寶that can hold any item under six feet. However, it might not be suitable for Your Excellency the Prince Consort to wear..."

"How difficult would it be to make this thing" Hao Ren asked.

Chancellor Xia patiently explained, "This type of treasure is relatively simple and has low practical value. It’s mainly convenient for carrying things around. If Your Excellency is looking to choose something, perhaps this one..."

Hao Ren hesitated, wondering if he should take the necklace as a gift for Su Han.

She had been quite helpful and guided me in cultivation; it would be nice to show my appreciation by giving her a gift from the Dragon King...

As he thought this, he took two steps forward to pick up the necklace.

Ding!

Suddenly, a burst of white light pushed Hao Ren’s hands away.

"Mount Tai Bracelet..." Chancellor Xia said in surprise. "Since Your Excellency is wearing an inspector's Mount Tai Bracelet, we can’t proceed. This bracelet restrains any magical item."

“Does the Water-Repelling Pearl count as a magical item” Hao Ren asked.

"It’s a bead with special abilities and doesn't qualify as a treasure. Only items that require spells to operate and control can be called treasures. Just like this necklace in Young Master Hao's hand, it needs a spell to open the small須彌world inside," Chancellor Xia explained.

So that’s how it is, Su Han... I was planning to give you a gift out of kindness, but... sigh, I should quickly advance to Kan Rank and rid myself of this restriction...

Hao Ren rubbed his sore wrist, gave up the idea of acquiring a treasure, and left the Divine Treasure Hall.

Chancellor Xia hurriedly followed. "Does Your Excellency wish to visit any other place Should we pay a visit to the Divine Pill Hall"

“Why don’t you go to the ice storage place you mentioned earlier It’s not considered a restricted area, right” Seeing how enthusiastic Chancellor Xia was, Hao Ren didn’t want to dampen his spirits and suggested this.

“It isn’t restricted, but it is very cold there. Fiancé, you will need to use your energy to keep warm,” said Chancellor Xia.

“Alright.” Hao Ren nodded and followed Chancellor Xia in another direction within the Dragon Palace.

As they walked, Chancellor Xia suddenly called out again, “Fiancé…”

"Just call me Hao Ren. It’s a bit awkward for you to keep calling me Fiancé," Hao Ren interrupted him.

"I wouldn’t dare be so informal. Should I then…" Chancellor Xia thought about it and proposed, “Should I address you as Mister Hao”

“Sure.” Despite feeling a bit helpless, Hao Ren agreed, since being called ‘Fiancé’ by him made him feel uncomfortable.

"Mister... Hao," Chancellor Xia cautiously addressed him. Seeing that Hao Ren didn’t react negatively, he then carefully asked, "I heard that in the human world now, everywhere is filled with houses built of stone reaching several dozen feet high"

Hao Ren was momentarily stunned before realizing what Chancellor Xia meant by 'stone'—the skyscrapers made of concrete. He couldn’t help but laugh and replied, “Yes, people live in those stone houses.”

“I also heard that instead of sedan chairs and horse-drawn carriages, they now use iron cages made of steel which move on their own” Chancellor Xia thought some more before timidly asking.

This time Hao Ren really couldn’t help but laugh out loud. "Yes, yes, people get in those 'iron cages,' reach their destination and then step out again."

Chancellor Xia raised his head and tried hard to imagine what he was saying, “That must be some kind of magical beast with a very bad digestive system.”

Hao Ren almost choked from laughter.

Thinking about it though, Chancellor Xia worked tirelessly in the Dragon Palace without stepping out much. All his information about life on land came from Elder Lu and Elder Sun; he really did seem pitiful.

"If Mr Zhao’s father—the Dragon King—doesn’t mind, I can take you to see 'the human world' next time," Hao Ren said with a soft heart.

“No way! No way! I dare not neglect my duties!” Chancellor Xia shook his head repeatedly. But for this young Fiancé who was so kind and approachable, he felt deeply grateful.

If the ice storage place had another turn, it might be time for Hao Ren to leave This Fiancé is truly easygoing… He thought with a sense of regret, feeling quite reluctant to part from him. of the South Sea, but he felt rather positively towards Song Qingya.Song Qingya looked back at the excited students and then smiled at Hao Ren. "I also went to the Dragon Palace of the South Sea a fe...